


Cursed Flames

by JuliettKilo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Drama, Death Eaters, F/M, Not Canon Compliant, Second War with Voldemort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28602597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuliettKilo/pseuds/JuliettKilo
Summary: The curse that struck Hermione Granger in the Department of Mysteries had unexpected consequences.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a prompt listed in The Death Eater Express Group on FB.

Despite the warm July air, Hermione shivered. After returning home at the end of 5th year, she could not shake the feeling of being watched. It was probably a post traumatic response to the debacle in the Department of Mysteries. The longer the feeling clung to her without anything occurring, the surer she became of this. Even so, she considered heading back inside. Hermione shook her head and berated herself for being ridiculous. Her parents had left for a weekend conference not even 12 hours ago. She was nearly an adult for Merlin’s sake. Two months shy of 17, staying home alone for a few days should not leave her uneasy. Maybe when she returned to Hogwarts she could ask Madame Pomphrey about the wizarding alternative to therapy. Considering the events of the last 5 years, therapy ought to be a school wide mandate.

A half hour later, Hermione started to gather her things to head back inside. "Boo," a cold voice purred in her ear. The hairs along her neck stood up. “Have you missed me,  moy svetlyachok?” Unable to reach her wand and too afraid to turn around, Hermione froze in place. The man slowly turned her to face him. She startled. Staring at her with his hands gripping her arms was Antonin Dolohov, escaped convict and star of her recent nightmares. 

“What are you doing here? How did you find me?” Hermione managed to stammer out. Dolohov’s fingers trailed across her chest, along the path where his curse hit her. Even though it left no mark, his purple flamed curse took weeks to heal from. The healers noted it was a stroke of luck she even survived. Knowing it was improbable she would get through the war without seeing him again, she at least hoped to never get caught alone by him. Yet here Dolohov was, in her backyard, running his hands along her chest after whispering in her ear. 

“Svetlyak,” Dolohov gave her a cold smile. “Somehow you survived my curse, creating a link between our magics. I will always be able to find you.” He stroked the back of his hand along her face. “You should have your order put up protections around your house. I’d hate for one of my overenthusiastic comrades to harm what is mine.”

“Yours?” Hermione muttered hotly. “What makes you think you have any claim to me? Why are you here warning me? If anyone is going to harm me, I’d expect it to be you,” she spat out, temper rising. 

Dolohov smirked. Even faced with a known threat, alone and unarmed, his little firefly is all heat and bravado. Watching her the past weeks had shown him that she was a perfect witch to bind to himself. The link between their magics was created when she absorbed his spell, melding his magical signature with hers. The curse was designed to burn through a wizard’s magical core, not combine with it. Dolohov was determined to discover any other side effects of casting the curse wordlessly by observing the girl before disposing of her. He did not expect to find her so intriguing. It would be a waste to lose her mind and power before she’d had a chance to fully develop. To kill her would be short sighted. He would keep her instead, but to keep her she would have to stay alive. It would be an engaging challenge.

“I will not harm you, moy svetlyachok. You carry my magical signature inside of you, bolstering my power and providing a direct path to you,” Dolohov said. He trailed his eyes over Hermione with a leer, watching as panic flooded her face and her body began to shake. “Until next time, sweet,” he added with a grin before disapperating with a low pop. 


	2. Chapter 2

The order was not of much help. When Hermione owled them about Dolohov’s visit, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall visited the next morning to go over the evening events in detail and check the area for any potential dangers. A few protection wards later and a stern warning to avoid close contact with Order members until more is known of the link was all the assistance Hermione received. “Cursory scans did not support Dolohov’s claims of a linked magical signature, as only one signature could be identified,” Professor Dumbledore stated, but continued to explain that a more thorough exam at the start of the school year would be necessary to confirm this claim. With a polite thanks and farewells, both professors departed, leaving Hermione to worry alone till September. 

Needless to say, Hermione was not surprised when Dolohov interrupted her evening a few weeks later. “Svetlyak,” he purred from behind her, “your order needs to try harder. These wards are pitiful.” He spun her to face him and crowded her forward until her back was pressed against the house. Arms pinned above her head, Dolohov breathed in her scent, Hermione barely registered the cool touch of metal around one wrist. “I obviously can’t depend on them to keep you safe. I’ll have to protect you myself. Read these,” he said while gesturing to a bag by his feet. He left abruptly, leaving Hermione to stare after him. 

-

The books Dolohov gave Hermione covered a variety of topics. Runes carved into the bracelet he slipped onto her were detailed in one volume. Another book included a slip of parchment listing several charms that can be woven into metal or stone. The last book was an in depth reference for mind magics. For everything that is wrong with the wizard and as unsettling as his attention continued to be, Hermione was thankful for his forethought. She quickly devoured the provided information and began formulating plans. 

The ease of which Dolohov accessed her made Hermione concerned for the safety of her parents. He has not yet threatened them, but that's not to say he won't or that one of his death eater friends couldn't just as easily walk in her front door. The mind magics book noted a couple promising options to protect them, although they were extreme and irreversible. She would need to research further once she returned to school. Hermione also planned to run diagnostics on the bracelet once she could use magic again without setting off the trace. Spelled to prevent removal, she could only glean that there were protection runes embedded around the circumference and that none of the annotated charms would harm her. Hopefully Remus would attend Diagon Alley next week when she was scheduled to meet everyone for school shopping. He was always willing to discuss theory and help Hermione puzzle through ideas. 

-

Settled in at her favorite table in the library a few weeks into term, Hermione huffed. None of the diagnostics she or Remus ran revealed anything nefarious within the bracelet. It was laden with several layers of protection and shielding properties that addressed most potential magical or psychic attacks, baring the unforgivables and similarly dark magics. They also found a few inactive runes they could not yet identify. They were what Hermione was currently unsuccessfully researching. Like the link Dolohov claimed was between them, answers were alluding her. 

A full workup from Madame Pomphrey confirmed Professor Dumbledore’s initial assessment, relieving the Order’s fears that Dolohov would attack or spy on them through Hermione in some way. Hermione was not completely confident in their conclusions, but she was pleased to be allowed to interact with her friends freely once again.

Hearing a tap on the window, Hermione turned to find an owl holding a package. Not recognizing the handwriting, she cautiously opened the attached letter. In it were congratulations from Dolohov for reaching the age of majority and a reminder to keep what is his safe. The accompanying package included more reference material and research journals filled with notes from Dolohov himself. Hermione could not make heads or tails of him. She couldn't understand why a loyal death eater would care whether she lived or died, regardless of any magical connection. His attention continued to be perplexing. Maybe his journals would provide some insight into the wizard.


	3. Chapter 3

In the coming weeks, Hermione read. She took detailed notes from the books Dolohov had sent her. She got lost in the narrative of his journals. And she combed the aged periodicals from around the continent stored in the library archives. Before he was imprisoned, Antonin Dolohov was a rising academic and cursebreaker. Snippets of his achievements were published in the periodicals, while his journals provided depth and breadth to each acclaim. It was fascinating to learn about the person behind the mask, it was also a great distraction from her currently turbulent personal life. 

  
  


Hermione was, once again, fighting with Ron. His selfish, short tempered personality was infuriating. She was beginning to question whether their constant spats were truly the passionate arguments of inevitable partners, or if she’d just romanticised it. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d gotten caught up in fantasies derived from whichever novel she recently read. Thinking on it, she decided a no pressure date may be the best way to gauge the actual depth of her and Ron’s potential relationship. With that decided, she went off to ask him to attend Slughorn’s winter party for his Slug Club as her plus one. 

  
  


-

  
  


She was being watched, she was sure of it. The hairs on her neck prickled. Determinedly, she quickened her pace as she crossed Hogsmeade to the Three Broomsticks to meet with Ron and Harry. As she crossed in front of an alleyway, Hermione was tugged roughly by the arm.

  
  


Arms pinned to her side, she was face to face with Dolohov. Antonin pressed closer, breathing in her scent. “Have you read the books, moy svetlyachok?”

  
  


Hermione glared. “Is there a reason you’re dragging me down alleyways?” He stared back with an amused spark in his eyes. “But yes, I have. They’ve been a treasure trove of information. Why did you give them to me”

  
  


“To keep you safe. The more you know, the better prepared you are, the more likely you are to stay living,” Dolohov replied. Hermione’s brow crinkled in confusion. “Go catch up to your friends. And don’t walk around alone again, even in Hogsmeade. I’m not the only danger out here,” he added as he slipped a shrunken package into her pocket. 

  
  


Slipping the package out once he vanished, she found more books and a note. Placing them back in her pocket, she took a deep breath and stepped out of the alley and headed towards the pub.

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> DEE Prompt: "Boo," a cold voice purred in her ear.
> 
> English - Russian Translation  
> Firefly - Svetlyak, My Firefly - moy svetlyachok
> 
> I have not yet determined if this will continue or remain a one shot. If it were to continue, I'm not sure what path it would take. It would likely depend on my personal headspace while writing it.


End file.
